The article referenced in the link above does state: “Because there are only between 20 and 30 cases of ‘true’ vestigial tails since the late 1800s, there is some controversy about what such a tail contains. Some early accounts say that there are sometimes extra vertebrae in such tails.”

It then goes on to state: “No modern tails have been found to have any bone tissue. They’re mostly skin with fat, connective tissue, nerves, and muscle tissue.” We agree with this statement as we also have found no reports in medical journals or professional medical websites describing a fully formed tail with any tail bones and joints on a human baby. However, we do not agree with the rest of the article as it promotes the discredited theory that embryos go through evolutionary stages from fish to mammal to human. Furthermore, it does not give any evidence for the 20 to 30 cases of “true tails” they claim to have occurred since the late 1800s.

The human baby ‘tails’ that have been observed consist of a tail-like mass of tissue extending from the base of the spine. These are properly named “caudal appendages” and can be a simple birth defect resulting from a minor overgrowth of skin and fibrous-fatty tissue, or they can be part of a much more serious problem, such as a tumour or a malformation of the vertebral column named spina bifida. All of these are defects of growth that have no more or less significance than any other birth defect in any part of the body.

The whole concept of evolutionary throwbacks to ancestral forms simply does not work. If evolutionists argue that genes have been permanently changed by mutations to make different structures, e.g. a human coccyx rather than a tail, there should be no genetic instructions for the old structures left.

For more information see questions:

TAIL BONE? Why do we have a tail bone if we don’t come from apes? Answer here.

TAILS & WHALES: Since men have genes for tails and whales have genes for legs, surely we must have evolved? Answer here.

GILL SLITS? I have read that babies have gill slits before birth. Isn’t this proof of evolution? Answer here.

For more on vestigial organs see the Creation Research article Vestigial Organs. PDF here.

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About The Contributor

Diane Eager has a background in medicine, and was a lecturer in biomedical sciences at University of Canberra. She now works for Creation Research, writing and doing background research for our publications and DVDs, as well as giving presentations. She is particularly interested in design in living things and how living things interact with one another, as well as developing a Biblical understanding of biology.